BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Certified financial planner and business founder Steve Dadash ’99 will be honored as the 2024 IWU Alumni Entrepreneur of the Year at Illinois Wesleyan University’s homecoming luncheon. . A panel discussion featuring successful innovators and entrepreneurs will follow.
The event will be held at IWU’s Hansen Student Center on Friday, October 4th from noon to 1:30 p.m.
If you plan to attend, please register on the Homecoming & Family Weekend website.
Dudash majored in mathematics as a Titan and earned a master’s degree from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He began his career in financial advisory and built one of the largest teams at Merrill Lynch in Chicago. I founded IHT Wealth Management in 2014. Under his leadership, the company has grown to manage more than $8 billion in client assets across 17 states.
In 2023, Mr. Dudash founded Riverwalk Capital Partners, a venture capital firm in Chicago focused on private investments. His expertise in asset management has led to interviews with CNBC, Fox Business, Bloomberg, Reuters, and the Wall Street Journal. He also writes for publications such as Forbes, Investment News, and Financial Advisor Magazine.
Mr. Dudash is currently the youngest member of the Illinois Wesleyan Board of Directors. He is married to Lisa Dudash ’01 and they have three children.
In addition to Mr. Dudash being named IWU’s Alumni Entrepreneur of the Year, lunch guests heard from entrepreneurial leaders from a variety of industries who shared stories and lessons they learned through their ventures and how their IWU experience helped them. You can listen to stories about how they utilized this information in building and managing their company.
Panelists include Joni Williams ’82, CEO of Kelly Scott Madison in Chicago; Randy Green ’03, partner at the Meyer Capel law firm and adjunct professor at the University of Illinois School of Law. Will Jenkins ’12, founder and CEO of Journey, a freight brokerage and training company.
